Ski and snowshoe harness



July 25, 1950 H. MORTSELL SKI AND SNOWSHOE HARNESS Filed June 8, 1948 Patented July 25, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE V r 2,516,238 I y sin AND SNOWSHOE HARNESS Hugo Mortsell, The Pas, Manitoba, Canada Application June s, 1948, Serial No. 31,764

2 Claims. (01. 280-1135) This invention relates to improvements in ski and snow-shoe harness and the objects of the invention are:

(1) To provide a harness which while giving the foot all the necessar movements required to provide for efiiciency in skiing and also to insure the safety of the skier will, at the same time, obviate the need of any binding means around the foot, which means often interfere with the circulation of the blood and chafe or out the foot and ankle.

(2) To provide a particular form of boot plate which will not prevent the everyday use of the boot and (3) To protect the foot and boot from contact with hard snow and ice which very often do severe damage thereto.

The harness embraces a boot plate adapted to be attached to the ski-boot by riveting or other means, or built in with the boot at the time of the manufacture of the latter. The plate is provided in its underside, with at least one transverse slot, and located in alignment with the longitudinal axis of the said plate and bridging each slot is a locking-bar. Carried by the ski is a ski-plate provided preferably at each end thereof, with a hook projecting thereabove. Mounted on a bar journalled in the ends of the ski plate, and extending through a slot formed in the top of the ski plate, near each end thereof, are clamping-arms which are in alignment with the said hooks, and which in co-operation with said hooks are adapted to receive and hold the locking-bars, and a movable plough carried by the said bar at each end of the ski plate.

Fig. 1 is an end elevation of the ski plate mounted on a ski, showing in cross-section the boot plate carried by a boot, locked to the ski, the plough being shown in closed position.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the ski plate and the plough with the parts in open position.

Fig. 3 is a plan of the ski plate and plough of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a plan of the underside of the boot plate, and

Fig. 5 is a vertical longitudinal section on the line 5-5 of Fig. 3.

In the drawings like characters of reference refer to the same parts.

The ski 2 is embraced by the ski plate carried thereby. This plate consists of a top plate 3, and end plates 4. Any suitable means may be employed to attach the ski plate to the ski. Suitably attached to the plate 3 are hooks 5, which project above this plate.

Journalled in the plates 4, below the plate 3, is a bar 1, on which are keyed-clamping arms 8. The arms 8 project through the slots 6, and are located in alignment with. the hooks 5. The plough I 0 is provided with arms H, which are keyed on the ends of the bar 1, adjacent each end plate 4. v

The boot plate I2 is provided near each end thereof with a transverse curved slot l3. Bridging each slot and in alignment with the longitudinal axis [5, of the plate I2, is a lockingbar [4. As shown in Fig. 1, this boot plate is located below that portion of the foot which is bent when walking. When the parts are in the position shown in Fig. 2, the booted foot is placed on the ski to bring the locking-bars l4 into jaws l6. This movement positions these bars upon the plate 3, between the hooks 5 and the arms 8, and when the plough lil is moved into position shown in Fig. 1, the locking bars I4 are firmly clamped between the hooks 5 and the arms 8.

As the lip I! of the plough I0 is laterally sprung beneath the nose l8 of the pin l9, carried by the ski, the plough I0 is closed and locked.

The forward portion of the plough is so shaped as to offer the minimum of resistance to any snow or ice it may contact, and to divert the same away from the foot. The plough l 0 may be provided with a finger grip 20, of any suitable design, to permit the plough to be lifted.

The slots I 3 are shaped as shown clearly in Fig. 1, to permit the ready removal of any frozen slush or ice that may become packed therein.

The ends of the arms 8, and hooks 5, are shaped so that they will co-act to cut away any ice or hard snow collected in their paths of movement.

The sectional view of the boot plate shown in Fig. 1 is made on the line 44, Fig. 4.

This harness can be adapted for snow-shoes also. It takes less than five seconds to take on or off skis or snow-shoes.

The construction of the boot plate together with the flexibility of the boot soles make it easy and comfortable to ski.

It will be evident that various changes in shape of the various parts herein described may be made without departing from the spirit of this invention.

This harness can be mounted on any skis, regardless of type or make.

I claim:

1. The combination of a ski; a ski plate embracing the same and provided in its top with a slot; a hook carried by said top and projecting thereabove; a bar journalled in the ends of said ski plate below said top; a clamping-arm keyed to said bar in alignment with said hook and extending through the slotted top of said ski plate, a plough provided with a pair of arms adapted to be keyed on said bar adjacent the ends of said ski plate, and means to hold said plough in closed position, thereby holding said clamping-arm in co-operative relationship with said hook.

2. The combination of a boot; a plate transversely attached to the sole thereof and provided in its underside near each end thereof with an open curved slot; a locking-bar located in alignment with the longitudinal axis of said plate, bridging each slot; a ski; a pair of hooks; means whereby a hook is coupled to said ski near each side thereof to project thereabove; a bar transversely mounted in said ski; clamping-arms keyed to said bar and projecting above the top of said ski in alignment with each hook, and plough means keyed to said bar whereby said clampingarms are moved away from said hooks to permit 4 the said locking-bars to be passed there-between when coupling the boot to the ski, and to move said clamping-arms towards said hooks to hold said bars therebetween to couple the boot to the ski.

HUGO MORTSELL.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,094,667 Parish Oct. 5, 1937 FOREIGN PATENTS Number 1 Country Date 37,497 Norway July 23, 1923 38,540 Sweden Feb. 11, 1911 54,663 Norway Nov. 19, 1934 84,635 Sweden Oct. 15, 1935 95,825 Germany Jan. 13, 1898 

